 On The Line -- Issue 590 -- July 7, 2006  Online News and Views of Life in San Benito County with Herman Wrede Published by HollisterOnline.com -- Copyright 1995-2008 HollisterOnline.com
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On The Line -- Issue 590 -- July 7, 2006 Online News and Views of Life in San Benito County with Herman Wrede Published by HollisterOnline.com -- Copyright 1995-2008 HollisterOnline.com
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Preparations for the July 4 weekend seemed to begin as they had done for most of the past decade. Beer trucks unloaded at local bars and grocery stores, and many people did their shopping a day r so early so they would not have to go out on the weekend.
At San Benito and South streets, some local vendors set up stands to accommodate T-shirts. Leather jackets and other motorcycle memorabilia. A few store windows carried a motorcycle theme. But it became evident on Friday that the anticipated -- or dreaded, depending on one's state of mind -- flow of motorcyclists into the city was not nearly what it had been since the annual Hollister Independence Rally began in 1997. For many years following the 1947 visit of thousands of motorcyclists who took over the downtown area, there had existed a repulsion to bikers. A few drifted in now and then but sensed that they were not welcome and soon left. On the 40th anniversary, July 4, 1987, about 200 arrived to be at the site of the now nearly mythic "Battle of Hollister." They destroyed a hundred or so pizzas and demolished many bottles of beer but otherwise left the town unscathed. That visit did a lot to soften Hollister's attitude toward them, and some people began discussing the idea of holding an annual rally to get revenue from participants at restaurants, bars, motels, grocery stores and other businesses. Dave Ventura worked with others of a like mind and the concept of the Hollister Independence Rally was formed into a definite plan. A trial run saw law enforcement officers out in force and many bikers complained. However, the plan went ahead with the blessing of City Council and the motorcyclists roared in on the July 4th weekend. Many locals went downtown to watch the activities, and business boomed at bars and restaurants. It also was extremely good at temporary tattoo artists' shops, places that sold insignia, jackets, patches and the like. On any given day, one could depend on seeing 35,000 bikers or more downtown. But while some people liked it, others did not relish the noise, lack of parking or crowded stores. The general attitude toward them on the part of the pro-bikers was, "Go visit some friends for a few days." The City of Hollister found that it was paying up to $250,000 for every rally, in overtime for local law-enforcement agencies or in hiring policemen from other communities in the central Coast. Sheriff Curtis Hill did not like the rally from the first and worked with Hollister police and other agencies to see that no preparation was overlooked or any sign of trouble not immediately confronted. It should be pointed out that most of the bikers were decent people who just wanted to be in on a significant event in motorcycling. But it takes a relative few to raise the prospects of nightmare. During the last few sanctioned rallies, members of rival motorcycle gangs became extremely confrontational. Last year, only the rapid and well-staffed presence of the police barely averted what could have been disaster. Hill and others who felt as he did made impassioned pleas to City Council, which was already divided on the rally. What probably tipped the scales was loss of revenue for the City with many vendors not paying sales tax or understating it to make more of a profit for themselves. A few bar owners or restaurateurs who had previously stated how upstanding bikers were dropped hints of what they might do if suddenly deprived of an activity to which they had grown accustomed. Finally, Council voted 3-2 not to sponsor the rally for 2006. An outcry immediately arose from bar owners and some restaurant owners who protested the loss of revenue, and a number of e-mail messages were sent to local newspapers from some out-of-town and out-of-state people who had participated in previous rallies. Local speculation was rife about what the Fourth of July holiday would bring this year. Many residents were relieved that they would have their own streets back for the holiday, and others who enjoyed the rally said it meant bad news financially for Hollister. The annual Saddle Horse Show and Rodeo got the focus of attention for awhile but when it ended, many residents turned their attention to the rally. Because July 4th fell on a Tuesday, it meant that motorcyclists could be rolling in from late Friday, into the weekend and two more days besides. But Friday came and with it perhaps only 100 motorcyclists. They looked at the police marching past in force, and one cyclist commented to the television cameraman, "I feel perfectly safe. I know that absolutely nothing can happen to me while I'm here this weekend." The next day brought perhaps a thousand motorcyclists but the show of police accelerated also. In addition to those walking a beat, others drove by in cars, on motorcycles and a few on horses. Meanwhile, a police helicopter hovered overhead, sometimes dipping low to what looked as though it could have been a trouble spot. The cyclists gathered in their favorite bars, and some looked over the souvenir stands set up. But one can do only so much of the latter and it soon became boring to them. Restaurant owners complained that although business was higher than normal for Saturday, it was not what they had anticipated. Just a little over 60 arrests were made on the weekend, many relatively minor like reckless driving and public drunkenness but guns were taken from two men who had aroused the suspicion of the officers. Many motorcyclists stated their resentment to newspaper and television reporters, and those statements were printed or aired. On Channel 8, Kathy Pape spoke of the "tens of thousands of motorcyclists who have come to Hollister for the Independence Day rallies ever since Marlon Brando starred in ?The Wild Ones.'" She was reading a script, of course, but one wonders at the reliability of the script writers when just basic checking would have shown that it was not so. The Marlon Brando film, made in 1953, was based loosely on Frank Rooney's short story, "Cyclists' Raid," which in turn was the loosely followed inspiration for the film. By mid-afternoon of July 4 many of the visitors had already gone but a few stayed on, some of them cruising San Benito Street as though determined to show that they were not going to be kept away. By the following day, the patrolling officers had gone, too, and Hill, Police Chief Jeff Miller and many residents heaved a sigh of relief that the non-rally was past with no major injuries or, what would have been worse, deaths. Doubtless, Hollister City Council will review the situation again but it is unlikely that the rally will be revived. Some business owners and residents are sore about it but at least as many more are relieved. |
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